It All Started Back Then
by DoubleDigits
Summary: Jason had been watching her for a long time. She was his annoying little sister's best friend, or at least one of them. Aria Montgomery was the only one he could tolerate. (These are a bunch of different days that include little Jason and Aria moments from when she first met Ali to before she moved to Iceland. Ratings range from K to T on different days.)
1. Chapter 1

This is a collection of moments between Jason DiLaurentis and Aria Montgomery before Alison's disappearance. Aria and the girls would currently be 13-15, depending on the date provided with the writing.

By the way, this is only my second Pretty Little Liars fan-fiction. I literally watched all the seasons only two weeks ago at the beginning of summer vacation. Here are the things I think you need to know about me: I'm young, I hate Ezra, I hate Paige. Finally, I support Jaria (obviously), Haleb, and Spoby. Emily hasn't yet met a girl I approved of, so. . . .

OKAY, LET'S START. IF YOU ENJOY THIS, GO READ MY OTHER PLL FANFICTION: What We Have is Real (Jaria).

Alright, let us begin. If you actually enjoy this, go ahead and read my other Pretty Little Liars fan-fiction, What We Have is Real. (It also has Jaria, Spoby, and Haleb, along with an unexpected couple). If you want to read my original works, go to Wattpad and find me at The-Girl-Mustache.

Thank you for reading this! Review, follow, favorite, etc. The Dare (august 11, 2008)

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE: When Their Eyes Met**  
**November 3rd, 2007.**

Aria Montgomery was placing her books in her locker and getting ready for band class next. By her feet was her keyboard's case. Just as the bell rang for students to get to class, Aria spotted the popular girls walking down the hall, all four of them in one neat row.

Like always, Hefty Hanna was on the very left end, and Emily Fields was on the right end. In the center, of course, was the Alison DiLaurentis and next to her was Spencer Hastings, her competition.

Kids from fifth-grade to eighth-grade stopped to talk to them, and Alison just waved them off. Suddenly, when Aria slammed shut her locker, she turned to her. Ali and Aria's eyes met, and a devious smile slowly slid on Alison's pretty face.

She said something to the other girls, leaving them to wait by her locker as she approached Aria. Aria gulped, looking around to find some way to escape as she fiddled with her new pink hair.

No one ever said no to Alison DiLaurentis, if she even noticed you. Aria wasn't going to be the first. Everyone knew Ali could make your life hell, no matter if you're her friend or not. Take Hefty Hanna as an example.

"Hey," she said when she reached Aria. A few kids were staring now. Alison placed her hands on her hips, making Aria sweat. What if the pink hair was a mistake? "Have we met?" Aria mutely shook her head. "Really?" Alison smiled, cocking her head. "Well, you know who I am, but . . . who're you?"

"Aria Montgomery," she muttered.

"Hmm, pretty name, but I think Punk Princess fits you way better. Want to have lunch with me and my friends later?" Ali asked, her cold blue eyes almost daring Aria to reject her.

"Um, sure." This was her worst nightmare. Others might've been happy to be her friend, but Aria certainly wasn't. Ever since she moved here three years ago, she'd been avoiding the devil. Except you can't avoid Alison DiLaurentis or her family.

"Great," chirped Ali. "So, I'll talk to you later, Punk Princess?"

"Yes." Suddenly, the warning bell rang, and a relieved Aria rushed to band class with her instrument. Mr. Gore gave her a warning for being late, and Aria nodded. Soon, they were playing music, and she was completely focused on the keyboard, in her own world. No one could brake through the barrier Aria made when she focused, not even a certain devil's spawn.

* * *

Lunch was awkward. Hefty Hanna was nervous and stuffing her face, while Polished Spencer was reading her sister Melissa's history book which was left at home that day. Sweet Emily was quietly talking to Aria, who'd been reluctant to sit down. Alison was gibbering about the new store in the mall and how she was going to force her brother to drive her there.

"You have a brother?" Aria suddenly asked. Ali glared at her.

"Yes. Don't mention him, ever. Jason is horrible to be honest." That's all Alison said about her brother before returning to the topic of tacky clothes at Walmart. Aria self-consciously tugged her shirt down, which she bought from the store in question.

* * *

After the final bell rang, dismissing the seventh-graders, Aria quickly packed up her things. She had homework in all her classes, so that meant she would have to walk home with all her books. Sighing, Aria pulled out her Kyocera phone and texted her mom: _Sorry, might be running late. Backpack is so heavy._

Her mother texted back: _Want me to leave work early to pick you up?_

_No. I'm good. BTW, Mike is going to Louis' house today he's sleeping over,_ Aria replied.

As she tucked her phone into her hoodie's pocket, she began to walk away from Rosewood Middle School and towards home. Suddenly, Aria heard her name being called . . . well, Ali's nickname for her. "Punk Princess, where are you going? Come on!" Surprised, Aria stopped and turned around.

There, in an expensive-looking car, were all four of the popular girls. Ali was leaning out a window, waving towards her. Driving the car was a guy who was probably Alison's brother. He looked old enough to be in junior year, at least four years older than Aria and the other girls. "Wait, what?" she asked, approaching the car.

"Aren't you coming over?" Ali pouted.

"Uh . . . sure," Aria frowned. "Where should I sit?" she said, noticing there was no room in the back. Ali glanced back as well.

"Oh, I guess you'll have to sit with Jason in the front," she sighed. Aria reluctantly opened the door and sat in the passenger seat next to Jason. Between his fingers, he held a cigarette and was smoking it. As soon as Aria got buckled, he started the car without a word.

Jason was really hot, Aria had to admit. His hair was dark blonde, almost brown, and long, cupping his face and reaching to his chin. Jason's eyes were blue and cloudy probably from the drugs. Smelling the smoke, Aria wrinkled her nose. He was definitely built, with at least a six-pack and abs. Aria tried not to stare, but the rugged face of Ali's brother was tempting.

"Jason, can you drive us to the mall?" Ali asked, more like demanded. Jason glanced at her from the small mirror. Aria glanced at the speed radar and noticed he was driving way above the limit, cutting at corners and ignoring stop signs. God, if she survived the ride, Aria would worship the holy lord above forever.

"Hell no. Mom said I only had to pick you up, not be your fucking chauffeur," Jason growled.

Ali scoffed. "Tone down on the cussing, will you? I wouldn't want to scare Aria off. The others are used to you by now."

"Who the fuck is Aria?" he frowned.

"Punk Princess, and you need to take us to the mall or I'll . . . - " Ali thought for a moment. " - I'll tell Mom what you and Ian did to Ms. Welsh's car." Aria could tell she was serious, but what exactly did Jason do?

Reluctant, Jason threw the cigarette out of the car window and muttered, "Fine, but I won't wait around for you bitches to be done."

"Wouldn't expect you to," Ali snarked. "You're, in no way, a gentlemen. Don't you agree, Punk Princess?"

Aria opened her mouth nervously. "I don't know, I just met him. Duh." She didn't want to face the anger of either sibling, but what else could she do? Emily and Hefty Hanna were nervously watching while Spencer was still engrossed in her book. Aria noticed Jason watching her from the corner of his eye.

Ali glowered at her. "Ugh. You're all the same. No normal girl gets pink hair, right . . . Emily?" She seemed to be targeting all the weaker girls in the vehicle.

"Yeah, Ali," agreed Emily, shooting Aria an apologetic look.

"So?" Aria shrugged. "Who ever said I'm normal?" Now even Spencer was paying attention. Ali was fuming.

"Hey, lay off, Alison," Jason finally growled. "Or I swear to God I'll make Ian pick you guys up for the rest of the year." Ali's eyes widened and she shrunk back into her seat. Eventually, Hanna and Emily started a conversation while Ali and Spencer debated.

Unnoticed, Aria murmured, "Thanks, Jason." Subtly, Ali's brother nodded, concentrating on the road while his hair flew in front of his face. Aria stared out the window, fiddling with her colored hair.

Jason was studying Ali's newest recruit. Out of all four, Spencer used to be the spiteful one. Now Aria was. Spencer eventually agreed to Ali's demands in the end, while Aria did nothing of the sort when his little sister commented on her hair. Speaking of that hair, Jason admired the pink color as he watched Punk Princess, Ali, and the others head towards the mall while he stayed in the car, texting Garrett.

Jason hoped Ali wouldn't effect or change Aria in the slightest like she did with her other friends. He knew that if the others could, they would change everything about themselves to please Alison. Hefty Hanna would be as thin as a twig, Spencer would be as care-free as him, and Emily would be as interested in guys as Ali (while at the moment, she wasn't even looking for a relationship).

When the pink hair disappeared, Jason sighed and pulled out another cigarette as he waited for his little sister and her friends.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO: The Dare**  
**November 14th, 2007.**

It was a little over a week ago when Aria got recruited. A week since she defended Alison's rude, older brother and he defended her back . . . sort of. Since then, she'd been ignoring him like all the others. So far, Spencer was her favorite. Emily was sweet but too shy, while Hanna spoke too much and listened to Ali's every word.

Aria was known as a whole different person at school. Before she was just the not-so-new new girl with pink hair. Now she was one of "Ali's friends". Aria had rarely spoken to anyone before, one of the only people being Toby Cavanaugh in band class. Now he avoided her, too. Even her brother, Mike, and his friends spent less time at her house.

Ali forced herself into her world, becoming involved with everything. Today was going to be Aria's first sleepover ever, but Ali only thought it was her first sleepover with Ali and the other girls.

"I don't know how she sleeps there at night," Hanna told her one day.

"Why?" Aria frowned, concerned.

"Jason lives there, duh. He's so scary. Ian and Garrett, his friends, always do drugs with him in the living room!" she whispered as if Ali could hear her. But knowing Ali, she probably could.

Right now, the she-devil and Emily were in the library while Spencer had to call her sister. Hanna and Aria were getting ready before class in the bathroom. Two days after Aria was recruited, she was introduced to make-up. Mascara and lip-gloss became her new best-friends.

"Jason isn't that bad, is he? I mean, he's probably just misunderstood by Ali," Aria defended. Hanna snorted as she puckered her lips to apply more gloss and adjusted her dress that squeezed her round stomach. Aria helped her pull her hair into pig-tails.

"Yeah, right," snorted Hanna. "You'll see what I mean when you sleep over."

Aria sighed as she observed herself in the mirror, giving up completely on convincing the other girl that Jason DiLaurentis maybe wasn't as bad as he looked. Except Alison was so convincing that Aria herself almost believe that Jason was a stoner jerk.

Just then, the bell for fifth period rang and the girls separated. Aria went to Advanced English while Hanna departed for Math. As Mrs. Thompson talked about the assignment due next week, Aria's mind drifted towards other things.

One of them being Jason. They hadn't spoken since the first car ride, and Aria always arrived early so she could sit in the back. Hanna usually ended up in the passenger seat nowadays, much to her misery. Was Aria ignoring Jason, or was he ignoring her?

_Whatever,_ she thought. _Doesn't matter either way. He's way too old to be talking to someone four years younger than him._

"Aria, can you answer the question?" Mrs. Thompson suddenly asked.

"Uh . . . ," Aria began, knowing she'd been caught. From across the room, Spencer gave her an odd look to which she shrugged at.

"It'd be good for your grades if you decided to pay attention. One more time and I'll give you a detention on Friday," warned her teacher. Aria reluctantly nodded and returned to thinking about the book they were reading in class.

* * *

At lunch, Spencer immediately attacked Aria. "What was that about?" she demanded as they sat down. Hanna and Emily were already there while Ali was probably in the bathroom.

Aria nibbled on her breadstick. "The book was just boring, so I didn't really pay attention," she shrugged. Spencer gave her a suspicious look before turning to her sandwich. Just then, Ali sat down next to Aria on the bench she shared with Spencer.

"Wow, I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Alison exclaimed, facing Emily.

"Tell you what?" Hanna asked, her mouth full. Ali decided to ignore it this one time.

"Emily's got a boyfriend - and _she_ asked _him_ out!" she exclaimed. Spencer almost choked on her food while Aria's eyes widened.

"Wow," Aria stated.

"Who is it?" demanded Hanna.

"Ben Roberts," Emily blushed. Her light brown skin was quickly turning pink as she nervously stared at the table.

"Ew," Spencer choked. "His teeth are huge."

"Doesn't he play basketball?" Hanna asked.

"No, he plays football," Alison corrected. "Look at her! The shy, little Emily finally makes a bold move. God, I thought you were gay before." Emily gasped, turning towards her.

"Um, that's kind of harsh," Hanna said.

Ali simply shrugged before starting a new subject. "So, Aria, today's going to be your first sleepover at my house," she smiled as she took a bite of her salad. "Watch out for Jason and his friends. They're all weirdoes that spy on us."

Aria bit her lip. "Are you guys staying over too?" she asked to Hanna, Emily, and Spencer.

"Of course!" Spencer exclaimed. "I won't let you be tortured by Jason on your own." Hanna nodded.

_Again with the Jason thing,_ Aria thought. _Can't they just lay off?_

* * *

When school ended, Aria found her brother in the fifth-grade hallway. "Mike, can you tell Mom that I'm going to stay over at Ali's tonight?" she asked. Mike glared at her, his blonde hair falling in front of his eyes.

"Sure, whatever. Let go of me," he said. Aria frowned but obliged, watching as he hurried to his friends.

When she arrived at Jason's car in the lot, Aria realized she took up more time looking for Mike than she thought. The only seat left in the car was the passenger seat, and Ali was smirking at her. Sighing, Aria climbed in, buckled, and ignored Jason.

Jason was smoking again, like always, and the smell was more distinct up front. He glanced at her before looking away and driving home, one hand on the wheel while the other held the cigarette. It smelled disgusting, and Ali could see that Aria hated it. That's exactly why she did what she did later that day.

* * *

They were in a circle in Alison's room on the floor. Hanna was wrapped in blankets, Emily was holding an ice-pack on her head, and Spencer was in the hallway eating some mash-up of sweets to vomit in front of Jason's door. The teen in question was locked up in his room with Ian and Garrett, doing who knows what.

The five girls were playing a game of Truth and Dare. So far, everyone but Aria had done at least one dare. This time, Ali was forcing her to choose dare. Aria hoped the dare wasn't to die her hair blonde or something like that. However, the dare was far worse than she expected.

"I dare you . . . to smoke one of Jason's cigarettes," Ali smirked, pulling it out of her purse. "Or else you have to strip yourself in the backyard."

All of the dares were outrageous but they were better than the other option. Hanna had to jump in the bath tub full of freezing water in only a bra and underwear. Emily had to slide down the stair railings. Spencer was still working on hers. Aria's was the craziest, though.

"Fine," she huffed, grabbing the cigar from Ali. Ali also pulled out a lighter and lit it. Aria slowly brought the cigarette to her mouth, puffing out, as angry voices were heard in the hall. Suddenly, Jason burst into the room.

"Ali, why the hell is one of the power-puffs trying to vomit on my door, and - what the hell are you doing?" he yelled, noticing Aria.

"It's a dare, Jason. God, can you get out?" Ali snarled. Jason growled at her before walking over to Aria, snatching the cigar out of her hands, and turning back to his sister.

"Ali, this is crazy shit. It's not_ just_ some cigarette. If I ever find you or your friends with another cigarette, I swear to God I'll . . . " he ranted.

"You'll what?" yelled Ali. Jason glowered at her.

"Where the hell did you even get this?" he demanded, shaking the cigar. Aria watched as cinders fell to the ground by her toes, recoiling. Jason glanced at her, his eyes slightly . . . worried? Angry? Maybe both.

"Ian," Ali grinned.

Jason frowned. "I'm gonna kill him. You're too young for this."

"You get high all the time!" Ali argued, standing up. Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna sat there, witnessing the argument with wide eyes. In the doorway stood Garrett watching as well with a camera.

"That's different!" Jason yelled, raising a hand as if he were going to hit her. Aria flinched along with Ali. Aria's uncle on her father's side always threatened to hit Mike and her, so it was a natural reaction.

Jason breathed in deeply, lowering his hand. "Stay away from this shit, a'right?" Turning to Aria, he asked, "You okay?"

Aria gulped, her eyes wide as she mutely nodded. Did Jason DiLaurentis just ask if she was okay? Hanna was staring at her and frantically waving her hands behind his back. "Good. If Ali dares you to do this again, tell me." Before Aria could respond, he was out of the room, slamming the door shut and dragging Garrett with him.

Ali was shaking in either fear or fury. Deciding to take her anger out on someone, she automatically turned on Aria. Hanna, Emily, and Spencer cowered on Ali's bed. "This is all your fault!" yelled Ali. "You are so weak and ugly! I can't believe you!" Aria glowered at her, standing up as well.

"What the hell are you talking about? This isn't my fault!" Aria yelled back. Annoyed, she snatched her vest from the bed and stormed out. Spencer was calling after her, and Aria saw Garrett looking out from Jason's bedroom.

"Aria, wait!" Ali called, but she ignored her, too. Angry, Aria began to walk home, freezing in her pajamas. The rest of her clothes were left in Ali's room, so she texted Hanna: _Can you stop by my house later and drop off my clothes?_

Hanna replied: _okay. that was just... wow. jason actually stood up for u. OMG!_

_Thanks. Can we talk about it tomorrow in school? I'm too pissed right now._

_totally. i understand. hope u feel better tom. and for the record, ali was way out of line. don't tell her i said that tho,_ Hanna sent, making Aria grin.

Just when she reached the main road, a familiar car pulled up next to her. Jason opened the passenger door and said, "Come on, get in." Aria obliged, buckling up as he drove her home with her directions.

Her mother and father's cars were already in the drive way and Aria saw Mike playing soccer in the backyard with Louis. As Aria was going to climb out, Jason grabbed her wrist, tugging her back in. Ignoring her fast heartbeat, Aria stared at her sock-clad feet. "Honestly, are you alright? Ali's crazy sometimes, and I don't . . . I don't want you to get hurt," Jason repeated, his eyes clear so she knew he wasn't high at the moment. Aria nodded again.

"Thanks, Jason. A lot."

Jason nodded a welcome and let go of her. "Goodnight, Aria." Aria froze. That was the first time he ever said her name. Before she could return the favor, Jason drove away. Holding back a smile, Aria went inside and immediately to her bed. Ali would be pissed about that too, but who cares anymore, right?


End file.
